The best deal available on immigration reform for the immigrant base failed last year, when Sen. Obambi and the democrats voted for five poison pills that killed the immigration reform package you advocate and Sen McCain championed.

Why don’t you write an article exposing Obambi’s fingerprints on the death of 2007 Immigration Reform Act. Sen MAc has been honest with you. The 2007 Immigration Bill will not pass. It is dead because opportunists like Obambi lacked the courage to stand by it. Second, it died because the American people do not trust their leaders to secure the borders first.

Now a piece of advice. I suggest you continue to support Sen Mac for his honesty and his word even with his revised immigration position. Otherwise, you like Sen Feingold will learn the hard way that Sen Obambi has no problem throwing decades of a colleagues reform work under the bus to suit his political fortunes.

The choices are stark Mr. Navarette. You can support a nominee who is black and speaks well, but you know has already shafted immigration reform and shows a propensity to dumping important policies to suit his political fortunes. Or you can stick with someone who has fought hard for you no matter what, but is honest enough to speak the realities required for compromise.

I don’t think Sen McCAin should have to say anymore to you. I think you should take the Obambi fairydust out of your eyes and do the right thing for the immigrants you champion.

Their best chance for reform lies only in McCain, however he can get it.

Respectfully,

McCain wants the support of the conservatives..then let him promise to enforce our laws that are in place now! Let him care about the middle class that is choking to death in this country! Does he or Congress care about America or do they care more about cheap labor whether it is illegal or not? Sounds more like Mexifornia? Perhaps we should rename our Country? After all, we dare not have our own language sanctioned. Oh well, I am just a gun toting clinging to religion bigot!

“To a lot of people, that sounds like the discredited approach of enforcement only — which has a track record of only making the problem worse. Note the 1996 Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IRAIRA), an enforcement-only law which – for all its chest thumping – did little to curb illegal immigration.”

What a ridiculous argument. Kellogg-Briand anyone? You know, for all its chest thumping, it did little to prevent World War II, Korea, Viet Nam, wars in the Middle East, wars in Africa, wars in South America, etc.

It’s not simply passing a law that accomplishes anything. You have to enforce it. Enforce the existing immigration laws first and stop (or ideally reverse) the flow of illegal immigrants. Then take stock and see what the next step should be.”

I’m with Ed, until we actually enforce the laws we have in place now, there’s no way to structure any new plans. It’s the commander-in-chief’s job to secure our borders.

America is a condo complex, not a house. I don’t disagree with the squatter analogies, but recognize their are people who – sublet; rent; own a 2-bedroom, and some who own a penthouse and some rental units. Its the penthouse holders making us who live down by laundry room suffer all the external costs.

Why is John McCain addressing a racist organization?

Would it be acceptable for him to appear before the NAAWP? (National Association for the Advancement of White People)

Where is the outrage against McCain’s pandering to the reconquistas?

Does anyone seriously think that John McCain is going to secure the border?

Sheesh, people are gullible!

I cannot fathom why you say it is difficult to get McCain’s meaning. He has not changed his position on comprehensive immigration reform: he has made an adjustment to recognize the need for enforcement control over non-residents (also called illegal aliens). He has done this because he knows there are many conservative votes he would not get if he didn’t. He has never said he would not move to restart his comprehensive reform efforts once border control is in place. He probably will try for amnesty again, but will likely get very strong opposition again. (you call it not amnesty but most who objected to McCain’s plan think amnesty is any plan that automatically allows all illegals to stay here and continue whatever they have been doing and not to be considered any longer illegal.) BTW, I think if he is president, he will no longer worry about these issues and just go ahead and pursue what he wants.

1. Enforcement of existing law has to be proven to work first. That means a fence.

2. Aliens who crossed the border illegally will not be granted permanent residency from within the US. They can apply at the US consulates in Mexico. No problemo. On the other hand, those aliens who commit felonies in the US must be deported far into Mexico, not merely to the US border.

2a. Smugglers and “coyotes” must be aggressively chased to ground and prosecuted, with long jail terms for these modern-day slavers, rapists and murderers.

2b. Employers of aliens must be punished. Sanctuary cities must be denied all federal funds. Locales that enforce the law should be rewarded somehow, perhaps with a special, non-monetary honor.

3. Quotas for legal Mexican temporary and permanent immigration must be raised to at least double their current level. Not only highly educated but also highly motivated hard workers should be privileged in this. The US loves hard-working Mexican immigrants, even if the first generation speaks Spanish. No Mexican should be forced to wait more than one year for his or her request for immigration to the US to be granted or denied. This 10-20 year wait we have right now is unconscionable and the cause of most of our Mexico/America immigration problems.

4. Mexico must be forced to establish symmetrical legal immigration policies with the US. No more of this “do as I say, not as I do” from Mexico.

How’s that?